A Twisted Game the Universe Plays
by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: The universe has screwed Hope over a time or two already, it couldn't possibly do any more. Soulmate!AU, Nearly compliant up to 1x07, and Happy Valentine's day to my Hafael shippers!


Note: Soulmate!AU (everyone has an accessory with a representation of their soulmate), following the events of 1x07 with the exception of Landon and Hope kissing in the past.

* * *

_Her father clasped the necklace around her neck, a soft, rare smile on his face. Hope fingered the charm hanging on her neck before looking up at him._

_"Another protection spell?" she asked._

_He shook his head, kneeling to meet her shorter height. "No, my little wolf, this is something different." He gripped the charm between two fingers. "This is a symbol that will guide you to someone who will protect you when I'm no longer around."_

_Tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. There was nothing he would allow her to do to fix this either. She was going to lose her father, and he wanted to talk about her love life._

_"This isn't right, Dad," Hope pleaded. "I shouldn't have to lose you like this."_

_Klaus rubbed a thumb over her cheek. "Don't cry, Hope. I'll always be there with you, but this…" he held up the charm again. "...this will ensure someone will be there physically."_

_As far as she'd known, he was never one to succumb to fate yet here they were. What could she do?_

_He kissed her temple then stood up. "I love you, Hope. Always and forever." He started to walk away, leaving Hope to watch him with tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even have her mother to run to and cry in her arms; she was gone too._

_Hope gripped the charm in her fist, wondering how in the world a spiral sun would help her in the future without the two most important people in her life._

* * *

Hope was tapping the pencil on her journal, ignoring the teacher prattling on about something involving symbolism and history. She already knew about this stuff, but she had to go to the class in order to provide 'attendance'. God, she couldn't wait to get out of there.

Though, something the teacher said caught her attention.

"For example, take a look at the charm on Rafael's wristband. It's a swallow, which could mean a few things in the world of symbolism. An example would be sailors showing their experiences, while another one would be–"

"Hope," she said without thinking. "It would symbolize hope."

The teacher paused in her step, looking at Hope. Everyone else's eyes were on her as well, and she gave them a 'what are you looking at' look in return. The teacher cleared her throat and nodded.

"Hope is right. A swallow could also represent hope, coincidentally. As told in Aesop's Fables…"

Hope had drowned the rest of the teacher's words out. Her mind was zoned in on the fact that someone wore a charm that technically had her name written all over it. She shouldn't let some of her father's last words get to her like that, but she couldn't believe in coincidences.

Especially not when the wearer of said wristband hadn't stopped staring at her since the interruption.

* * *

Hope sat cross-legged in the middle of the gym, the punching bag barely swinging from her lack of action. Her thoughts couldn't focus on anything but Rafael and his wristband. Just when things had gotten quiet about the monsters and Malivore business, this shows up.

She looked down at the spiral sun dangling above her chest and frowned. Could this be what her father meant? It was something in the symbol, like a connection to someone else no one else could share.

The simple solution was the soulmate bond rumored to occur throughout the universe, except Hope gave up on the universe when it took her parents away. It didn't change the fact that a charm piece had a connection to her through her name.

What if it was another monster messing with her head again? The Necromancer wasted no time doing it, so how could she trust that his wristband wasn't a ploy to try again. What if it was true? What about Landon? What about–?

"I was hoping that you were here," came Rafael's voice.

Hope spun around swiftly, her ponytail nearly swinging back around to hit her in the face as she did so. She looked up to see Rafael, the wristband resting proudly underneath the punching gloves he wore.

"I'm here every Tuesday," Hope replied automatically, clicking her tongue.

Rafael scoffed softly, holding out his hand. Hope glanced at it for a second or two before taking it. She couldn't help but zone in on the wristband under the glove.

"That's quite the fashion piece," she continued. "I never noticed it."

He rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't like wearing it at first, but after Cassie…"

When he trailed off, Hope glanced down at the mat. It had to be hard seeing the girl you thought you loved and actually killed again in the flesh. That...sounded better before the thought was finished.

"It's okay," Hope said, taking a deep breath and looking up at the werewolf. When their eyes met, it was hard to look away.

"It was rough seeing her again, but it also gave me closure," Rafael continued. "Plus, she pointed out that we weren't fated, which made me think about my wristband." He bit his lip a bit. "And that's why I'm here."

Hope gave him a confused look, but the smallest bit of fear crept in her stomach for some reason.

He must have taken that as his cue to continue because he took off his punching glove to show the wristband completely. "You know what my symbol means, and I can't shake the feeling that it's not coincidental."

Hope couldn't respond. Nothing witty or scathing came. She stood there watching him lick his lips and clear his throat.

"Your necklace...it's a healing thing, right?"

"...Something like that. My dad gave it to me, and it's a symbol of healing."

"This...this is not good."

The brunette folded her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Hope, I know you're piecing this together already." Rafael reached for the charm around her neck and touched it. Both of their charms glowed, the light growing so large it began to engulf them. Something forced her into Rafael's arms, and he caught her easily. It would have been so easy to lean up and kiss him. So tempting..._stop it, Hope_. Her breath hitched as she looked around, meeting Rafael's pained expression.

The glow was gone in seconds, and Rafael took a step back. What her father told her was true (in a way). The soulmate bond was true, too, and knowing why he had the pained expression on his face only made this situation even more complicated.

"Landon," she whispered, her eyes casting down to the mat once again. She'd only just sent him off to New Orleans, and so far nothing bad had been sensed. It would explain why she went in to kiss him but couldn't bring herself to do it. It didn't feel right.

Being close to Rafael had never felt righter, which sucked because the boys were brothers. Yeah, she'd gotten close to Rafael, but he was loyal. He wouldn't move on his brother's 'girl' if he liked her first.

Rafael nodded. "Exactly," he said. "I like you, Hope. I think you're cool. We know the universe wants to play this twisted game with us, so maybe we just need time?"

Time. Time had been steady and peaceful without the worry of another monster coming around, but would that last? How much time would they need to work out whatever this was? She knew all about the universe's twisted games. Could she play this one?

"Promise not to all get mushy on me," Hope said, holding out her hand.

Rafael smiled, taking Hope's hand. She tried to contain the jolt to her heart when they touched. It had to be some side effect to the bond reveal because they'd touched each other before.

That...sounded better before the thought was finished.

He shook her hand, and Hope let go with a smile she hoped he didn't see through. Things would get complicated from there, but at least she wouldn't deal with it alone.

The universe couldn't screw with her again, could it?

* * *

Swallow: a symbol for hope

Spiral Sun: a symbol for healing, and Raf's name means 'God has healed'.

Word Count: 1,359


End file.
